8. Focaccia
Despite my very present sweet tooth, now and again I like to make something that doesn't involve sugar. No sugar at all. Well, alright, a little bit of honey, but that doesn't count. Not even a teaspoon's worth.
I started making focaccia earlier this year, using a recipe from Taste Inspired (original recipe here) which I haven't really deviated from to be perfectly honest. The bread it makes is light and full of flavour. On occasion if I get overzealous with the honey you do get a slight sweet hint, but this is definitely a savoury bake. Or I try to keep it savoury. I might have a problem...
Bread always seemed to be an extremely difficult thing to make, and so I never really tried. Paul Hollywood of Bake Off fame had put me off a little with his terrifying judgement of the contestants seemingly tasty attempts. So when a friend of mine made focaccia, I decided maybe it wasn't so scary after all. I've been making it every couple of weeks since.
Makes one 13" by 9" "loaf"
Ingredients
1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced finely
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
a pinch of black pepper
1 cup (240ml) warm water
2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
1/4 tsp honey
2 1/2 cups (325g) plain flour
1 tsp salt
Method
In a pan, combine the olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Place on a low heat and stir occasionally to infuse the oil. This should be 5 to 10 minutes, before the garlic browns.
In a large bowl (I've used a jug before) combine the water, yeast and honey. Stir it a little to moisten the yeast and leave for 5 minutes.
Add 1 cup (125g) of the flour and 1/4 cup (60ml) of the infused oil. Stir a couple times to moisten the flour and leave another 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the flour (1 1/2 cup, 200g) and the salt. Mix it until the dough comes together. After that knead the dough 10 to 15 times until it is smooth. (I have done this on a floured surface or in the bowl/jug if my mixture is already floury enough).
Transfer your dough to a large oiled bowl (doesn't need to be a lot of oil. A splash on a piece of kitchen roll and wipe that around the bowl will do) and cover with a tea towel. Leave to rise at room temperature for an hour.
Use two tbsp of the remaining oil to coat the bottom of a 9" by 13" rimmed baking tray and transfer your dough across, spreading it out to cover the tray evenly. Using your fingers "dimple" the dough several times (see picture). Drizzle the final 2 tbsp of oil over the top of your dough.
Leave to rise for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 230C.
Bake your focaccia for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Serve hot or cold, with or without olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Keep leftovers in an airtight container to prevent it from going stale.
